Reviews with content warning for Islamophobia - Những Người Đàn Bà

Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'

Những Người Đàn Bà by Etaf Rum

20 reviews

amandaplease50's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was such an excellent book and story to read. Amazing debut from the author and makes me extremely interested in reading her second book.

But please make sure you are mentally ready to read this book. While I would highly recommend it, it’s also a mentally taxing book to read.

This book made me understand better how women in certain situations think that I definitely didn’t take into account ever. The dual POVs and changes from the 90s to 2000s was such a great way to read this story. There are so many books TikTok and social media has lead me to and I’m real glad for this one.

Content Warnings

brennrul's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.25

This book follows three generations of Palestinian women now living in Brooklyn, and the interconnectedness of their shared struggles within a patriarchal society.

It’s a story about a teenager chasing after the hazy and confusing memories of her deceased parents, about her mother’s loneliness after following the stranger she married across the world, and about her grandmother’s role in perpetuating the abuse that was done to her.

It’s a tough read, and my heart went out to these characters. The book does a good job of highlighting the struggles of refugee families living in the US, and of the dynamics of immigrant communities struggling with wanting to both succeed in a new country, and not lose their cultural identities. It also paints a really vivid picture of generational trauma and its far-reaching impact.

I listened to this in audiobook format, and I have to say the narrators did a really good job. The character voices, the use of multiple narrators, it all worked really well to make the story come to life.

Content Warnings

laveena's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

sydapel's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I had little to no idea what to expect going into this (it was on my every growing list of recs from TikTok and I picked it up purely on a whim), and boy oh boy did it make me confront my privilege in a few big way. The recent craze of the Barbie movie has centered a lot of white feminist thinking in my brain (it's still an excellent movie that makes a lot of good points), and I'm very glad I read this book soon after to remind myself that domestic violence and limitation of girls' education are still real issues that cultures are permeated with. The characters in this book feel both rich and raw with emotion, and the fierce hope they manage to hold onto in unimaginable circumstances is incredible. Additionally, the author manages to capture the real feelings of hesitation of guilt they feel at acting outside their roles as obedient wives and mothers with such empathy, and you get this complete picture of women at odds with themselves, trapped in a culture that actively harms them, still seeking love and care in whatever ways they can find it. It's beautifully done, and I'm so glad I read it.

Content Warnings

misslaurenreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Honestly this book was incredible. A lot of reviewers say it was repetitive, but bear in mind it is being told from three different perspectives so some of it is bound to repeat. It is a beautiful story of the strength of women and will definitely stick with me for a while.

the plot twist at the end?? So many different theories I may or may not have googled. The plot twist really is what knocked it down from 5 stars for me. I needed one more chapter…. Or even paragraph really… to give an explanation of what happens after the subway doors open.

all in all, it was a great read and I highly recommend it - just make sure you’re in the headspace for something pretty dark.

Content Warnings